The Central Information Commission (CIC) has issued a show cause notice to the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) asking the civic body why it should not have pay a token compensation of ₹50,000 to the Scope Complex for allegedly “usurping” free parking and collecting parking charges.
The Scope Complex, under the Ministry of Urban Development at Lodhi Road, houses offices of several public sector undertakings. The offices of the CBI and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology are also nearby.
An RTI applicant Om Prakash Khorwal had approached the SDMC claiming that the civic authority was “unauthorisedly” charging parking fee for the area, which was for free parking for the staff of the Scope Complex and government offices around it.
According to Mr. Khorwal, the employees were parking their vehicles free of charge till 2012. However, the SDMC allotted this area to a contractor and that parking charges were being recovered from the employees.
‘₹5.86 lakh per month’
Mr. Khorwal, who works in the Scope Complex, wanted a copy of records pertaining to transfer of parking space to the SDMC and the authority letter allowing the civic body to collect parking charges.
The SDMC said it has received ₹5.86 lakh every month since July 2015 but refused to give details before that saying information was not available.
During the hearing, the petitioner alleged that the “SDMC has unlawfully encroached upon and usurped the right to charge parking fee” for the area which was not under its control.
He said the ownership of the whole area, in and around the Scope Complex, was vested in the urban development ministry and the Central Public Works Department.
“While it has been brought on record that the SDMC Commissioner was already made aware of the instance of unauthorised levy of parking charges in 2013, the SDMC seemingly did not take remedial steps. It is, therefore, apparent that the SDMC made financial gains by taxing the public unauthorisedly,” Information Commissioner Yashovardhan Azad said.
